Preparing a presentation on family holiday traditions for her son’s first-grade class, Kristen thought about reading a sweet Christmas story to the children.

She pored over some of her own favorite children’s books and decided on “Clopper the Christmas Donkey,” or “The Crippled Lamb” to share with the first-graders.

But when Kristen checked in with her son’s teacher, she learned that neither Clopper nor Joshua the lamb was invited to the classroom. Why? The stories involved fictional accounts on the birth of Jesus Christ, and in a public school, that was a big no-no.

“She said it violated the separation of church and state,” said Kristen, who asked that her real name not be used. “No religious celebrations or symbols were allowed.

“This was not like reading straight from the Bible. They are happy stories about happy little animals. They aren’t like outreach or missionary materials. My goal was not to convert somebody. I was just reading a cute little storybook.”

The teacher said Kristen also could not bring in a Nativity set or organize a nativity-themed craft.

Kristen and her family attend a local evangelical church and don’t trick or treat or recognize Santa Claus. They celebrate Christmas on a strictly spiritual level, including gifting each child three presents, the same number the Bible says Jesus Christ received from the three kings.

“I started to feel really angry, but I didn’t get mad or scream or yell. I don’t blame the teacher; she’s been great all year long,” Kristen said.

“But I was asked to talk about winter holiday traditions and this is ours. She asked if I could talk about something else, like the food we eat or our decorations, but I can’t do that. If you take Christ out of Christmas for us, there’s nothing left.”

This is not Kristen’s first time at the holiday no-no rodeo. She went through something similar 11 years ago when her oldest child was in kindergarten. That teacher also told Kristen she could not read a book about the story of Christmas.

“A few days later, my daughter came home and said another mom had come in to talk about Hanukkah. They tried potato latkes, lit the menorah and played with dreidels,” Kristen said.

“I couldn’t understand why they could hear about those traditions, but I couldn’t talk about ours. They also learned about Kwanzaa and other Christmas traditions from around the globe.”

After pushing back and voicing her concerns, Kristen was told just a few days ago that she could read one book and display a Nativity set, but could not discuss its significance.

“I didn’t really want to fight anymore, but it still feels a little ick,” she said.

Ick, indeed.

The balance between religion and our daily lives has become seriously skewed. Whether because of political correctness, fear, ignorance or the protests of a few, our country’s perspective on faith has slipped precariously too far on both sides.

You have the crazies from the Westboro Baptist Church staging anti-gay protests at American soldiers’ funerals. You have opponents blasting the “religious right,” as if there’s a “religious wrong.” You have atheists objecting the inclusion of any religion anywhere and ardent believers blaming the demise of society on that exclusion.

Most of us sit somewhere in the middle, celebrating our faith in peaceful worship and prayer.

I am a Roman Catholic. My faith is as much a part of me as my being female, Caucasian, Irish. But I would never pretend to think that my religion is better than any other. Some of the kindest people I have ever known have not shared my Christian beliefs; they’re Jewish, Sikh, Muslim, Buddhist.

In the past, people rarely married outside of their religion. We baby boomers and our children have shaken that taboo, building new faith families — we convert, double dip, join new communities like the thriving evangelical megachurches.

I’m tired of people who push their beliefs on the rest of us, proclaiming that if we don’t climb aboard their faith train, we’re going straight to hell. But I’m also sick of the nonbelievers, who warn that relying on an invisible entity instead of ourselves will make our lives hell.

Religion and faith are intensely private issues. I wholeheartedly agree there are situations and places where public worship doesn’t belong. But not allowing Clopper the donkey or the lame lamb to visit a first-grade classroom?

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